Airborne
by Allusioned Thoughts
Summary: Daniel Stratton, a lonely artistic boy, moves to Forks only to discover that he belongs to an ancient and powerful tradition. Follow Daniel's story as he finds a pack, an imprint, and so much more. OCxOC. In canon. UPDATED!
1. Arrival

"Daniel!"

My mother's voice burst into my thoughts. The sun was low in the sky. I was late for dinner.

Again.

"Coming!" I answered. The trees behind our house shook in the wind as if laughing at the scolding I was sure to get. I ran up to the porch of our small two-bedroom house and grinned sheepishly at my mom.

"Daniel Stratton, this is the third time this week you've forgotten dinner. What are you doing back there?" she asked, a frown on her face but a sparkle in her eye. I knew she wasn't really mad.

"Just drawing," I replied, raising up the sketchbook I held in my grasp.

"Well, your father and I want to talk to you." Uh-oh. This couldn't be good. I brushed my wet hair out of my eyes.

"What's up, Mom?" I asked innocently, following her into the living room. Surely they weren't _that_ upset over dinner, were they? My dad was sitting in his favorite chair, scribbling on a notepad. He was probably jotting down notes for his next book.

"Honey," my mom muttered. Dad didn't look up. "Ellis," she said sharply, finally getting his attention.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, his eyes refocusing. When Dad got into a story, it was hard to pull his brain back down to earth. "Dan, where have you been? You missed dinner again." He looked at me sternly.

"Um, I was just in the woods behind the house, drawing. Is there some kind of problem?"

"No, we just wanted to tell you something," Mom said sitting next to me on the couch.

"Okay," I said warily.

"Well, you remember your grandfather, right?" she asked.

"Um, yeah. Didn't he die?"

Mom shot me a look. "Dan, you have more than one grandfather. I meant the one who lives in Washington."

Oh. Oh no. I knew where this was going. The love story. How my parents met in Forks because of a book. I'd heard it a million times, how they wanted to go back so badly. They were probably going there on some long vacation and leaving me here alone with nothing to do.

"We're sending you to stay with him in Forks over the summer."

Wait, where _was_ this going?!

"You're almost eighteen and never go anywhere. We're hoping this will be a memorable experience for you."

"But you're not going?" I asked, a shocked expression on my face. It was all Mom ever talked about when she was feeling sentimental.

"Alex, why aren't we going?" my father asked with a teasing expression on his face. She shook her head in mock exasperation.

"Dan, you want to go, right?" said Mom, a worried look in her eye. She must have this already arranged.

"Of course," I replied. And I really did. Who knew what could happen? I was seventeen and had never been out of Iowa. I'd always dreamed of adventure, but never really thought it could happen to me. I became restless as I thought about the untold possibilities of this trip.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Three days later, I was pulling up into the driveway of a small white house that seemed to be in the middle of its own forest. Grandfather was sitting on the front porch waiting for me. I'd never met him, and I was somewhat nervous. As I closed the door to the rental truck, he came and looked me over.

"So we finally get to meet, Daniel," he said, shaking my hand firmly.

"Hello, Grandfather," I replied. He was a tall man with a strong build. His face was one that suggested a kindness beyond any I've ever seen before. I could tell that my father didn't get his good looks from Grandfather, though.

"You don't have a lot of bags," he said, looking in the car.

"No sir, I don't need much."

"That's fine." Grandfather shook his head with approval. "Stay outside a lot, do you?"

"Yes."

"Good, good. Do you have a phone that you're talking on all the time?"

I dug into my pocket. "I have a cell phone for calling people to let them know where I am, but no more than that."

"Well, that's fine." He started to reach for my luggage.

"Let me carry that," I insisted. Grandfather chuckled.

"So Daniel, what do you like to do?" he asked as we walked to the house.

"Well, I sit out in the woods behind our house and draw a lot. I also write sometimes."

"Ah, you're the artistic type like your dad, huh? Knew it'd run in the family. That boy's always had talent." Grandfather opened the door for me as I lugged my suitcase through the door. Other than the bag of drawing supplies hanging from my arm, it was all I had.

I stopped and looked around his house. Mostly it was one room, with the kitchen open to the living room. Two doors led to what I supposed were the bedrooms. The furniture was mostly normal, and there was nothing out of the ordinary. Not even a moose head over a fireplace.

Grandfather gestured to one of the doors. I assumed it was my room.

I pushed it open and was immediately stunned. It was normal enough as rooms go, but there was a huge window that took up half the wall and a seat under it full of plush cushions that were any reader's dream. The view astonished me. The entire back of the house was built on a sloping hill with a balcony that stretched out from the master bedroom. The landscape opened up into a small valley where a river wound its way through the pine trees. The setting sun cast ruby glints on the water, setting the world's coloring ablaze.

"You forgot to close your mouth, son," Grandfather said softly, walking up behind me.

"It's amazing," I whispered.

"Can't tell from the front of the house, can you?" he asked. I simply shook my head. "Well, I'll leave you to unpack your things." The door closed. I set my luggage in a corner and rummaged through it for my notebook.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Later on, as I was finishing my sketch of the landscape, the doorbell rang.

_Grandfather will get it, _I thought. I was comfortable on the thickly-cushioned window seat.

"Daniel! Come here, there's someone I want you to meet." Grandfather's voice came drifting through the house.

I was vaguely curious, so I went out to the main room. Grandfather stood with his back to me, and the visitor was hidden. A light, airy voice murmured something and my grandfather turned around.

"Ah, Daniel. This is Skye Clearwater." Grandfather said, moving a bit to the left. A girl of about fifteen or sixteen was standing there, staring right back at me. She was beautiful. Her skin was a russet color and her sleek black hair fell straight down her back. She had a perfect face that was slender and feminine, yet sturdy. Her figure was slim and strong. What struck me the most about her was her eyes. They were a dark green that seemed endless.

Suddenly, I felt my mind snap. Everything that kept me rooted to the earth was being torn away like delicate spider webs and steel cables were attaching themselves to me in their place. At least that's what it seemed like. This girl standing in front of me was the only tie I had left in this world, and everything else now seemed unimportant. Everything.

And then the heat hit me. Waves and waves of heat swept over my body, and my vision turned red. I hit the floor but didn't feel it. I just felt the fire in my limbs, everywhere. It was worse than a desert at noon, even worse than being on the surface of the sun. My blood boiled in my veins and I let out a howl of pain. It wouldn't stop. The fire kept spreading and growing. I was going insane and the pain was all that existed.

I needed to hold on to myself. I was slipping away. _Skye_. The sweet name rang through my head. Her face appeared in front of me. _Skye_. _Think of her. That will help._

I swiftly realized that it wasn't me who thought that. I _was_ going insane and now hearing voices.

_No, you're not going insane. _The voice said. _You're going through a transformation. You are going to live._

That didn't cheer me up. I just wanted to die so the pain would end. _Think of Skye. It will help. Though it's puzzling as to why you imprinted before the change, and not after. _ The voice was not making sense to me. It needed to say something I understood. _We're all a bit confused at this point, but basically you're becoming a werewolf._

Werewolf. No, impossible. Me, Daniel Stratton? A werewolf?


	2. First Phase

I was having the strangest dream. I was racing through the forest, my heart pounding. A strange feeling was coursing through my body. The trees were flying by impossibly fast. I looked at myself and realized I was running on four legs! I looked behind me. I had a tail!

Werewolf. I was a monster. This wasn't a dream!

I let loose a cry of anguish. It came out sounding like a howl. The earth was ripping beneath my claws; an ancient spirit was aroused in me.

_Slow down. We're coming, _a voice rang in my mind. I shook my head in bewilderment.

_You have to be calm. We'll be right there._ Who was coming? I slowed to a stop. Nothing was making sense. What was going on? I paced back and forth furiously, unable to stop moving.

Sounds and sights and smells were overwhelming me. Everything I associated with the forest was magnified to an unimaginable degree. There was the sound of rustling leaves, the smell of tree bark, and the chatter of a squirrel. Green light filtered through the leafy rooftop.

_Why did he join the pack? What's going on? Why did he imprint before transforming? Is he even a direct descendant of Taha Aki? _

Voices chorused through my head all at once. I felt my mind opening up, expanding. I could sense five or six consciousnesses running through the forest like I had been minutes earlier. It was almost as if I could see them.

_All of you shut up for a sec, _one of the wolves said, the one named Jacob. The Alpha. _Daniel, go back to woods near your grandfather's house before you hurt yourself. We'll meet you there. _

I felt a strange tug on my body and I started sprinting in a southern direction. My four legs pounded in sync with my beating heart.

I began to feel elated as I ran. I suddenly felt like I belonged here, like I always had belonged. So many things didn't make sense, nothing in fact, but right now was not the time to worry.

I slowed when I came to the river behind my grandfather's house. My tongue was hanging out with thirst. Freaky.

I drank in large gulps. After I was done, I stared at my rippled reflection. There was no hint of humanity in my features other than my eyes, which retained their natural green color.

I had shaggy fur that was the same reddish brown color my hair had been. I looked exactly like any average wolf except for my eyes and the fact that I was huge! I used my surroundings as a reference and guessed I was about as tall as a horse. The pack interrupted my thoughts.

_I thought you weren't going to order people around, _Quil said to Jacob quietly.

_This is necessary. He might hurt himself._ Jake hated that he had to force me to do something, but I didn't care at the moment.

I listened to the voices swirl around in the others' minds. The two main things on their minds were whether or not I had Quileute blood in my veins and the threat of vampires.

_Alice would've seen if a threat was coming here, wouldn't she? _

_No, Embry, she can't see things that have to do with werewolves, _Jacob said.

_But you're always there with Renesmee, so wouldn't that give her a few holes in her vision?_ Leah joined in.

Jake growled. _What do you suggest I do, stay away from them and her? _

Ah, I understood then. Renesmee was a half vampire and half human. Jacob had imprinted on her and couldn't leave her for too long. Alice, a member of the Cullen family, had the power to see into the future. Werewolves were immune to this gift and whenever she was near one, her visions didn't work. I absorbed all this information in a single second. The pack mind was amazing.

_No, that's not what I think you should do. We need to figure this out though, O great leader, _Leah said with sarcasm.

_Shut up,_ Jacob shot back.

A glint of light caught my eye and I looked up at the hills. I saw the windows of Grandfather's house, and the balcony jutting out. The sun was setting and I vaguely wondered what time it was.

Panic hit me suddenly, like a rock dropping into the pit of my stomach. Grandfather! What would he think? And Skye! Had they seen me turn into this nightmarish creature?

I let out a whimper and started pacing in circles again. I could feel that the others were almost here. Grandfather's house was a long way from La Push, just barely inside the pack's territory. They were taking too long.

Questions raced through my mind, but vanished as the pack came into view. There were six enormous, dangerous-looking wolves. The one furthest from me, Quil, was a chocolate brown color.

Next to him was a deep gray wolf named Embry, and Leah who was colored light grey.

Jacob, the rusty-colored Alpha, was closest to me.

Seth was the sandy wolf. He was also Skye's father.

Questions started crowding into my head again. _Phase back,_ Jacob ordered, his tone layered with authority.

I started shaking and my vision went blurry as I became human again. Everything was overwhelming me. I was exhausted and I felt sick with fever. I collapsed on the ground with welcomed sleep.


	3. Forever

My vision was returning, though everything was fuzzy. I was on the bed in my grandfather's house.

"Welcome to the Quileute protectors, Daniel," said a voice from across the room.

"What?" I croaked.

"That was about the weirdest transformation I've ever seen, kid," Seth laughed.

I opened my eyes. Light was pouring in from the huge window. The morning sun shone from the east side of the valley. Seth was lounging on the cushioned seat looking like he owned the world, or at least my bedroom.

"Do transformations into monsters happen often around here?" I asked, letting a little sarcasm drift into my voice. I sat up, wincing.

My muscles still contained some heat from the fever.

Wait.

I yelped and jumped up out of bed. I was six inches taller than I was before and looked like I'd been lifting weights for months! Seth just gave a big grin.

"Heck of a growth spurt, huh?" he said.

"I'll say." I flexed my arm experimentally. I'd never been very athletic except for hikes in the forest. I usually stuck to art and literature. Guess that was about to change.

"How long was I out?" I questioned. I wondered how Grandfather reacted to all this.

"About two weeks or so."

"What?!"

"Don't worry, your grandpa knows everything. In fact, he already knew about us before you came along. He and Billy Black were best friends as kids and they stumbled on Ephraim phasing by accident." Seth studied my expression.

I didn't know how to react to that news. It made things easier I supposed.

"And as for you and Skye," Seth continued.

Oh crap.

"We'll just have to see how things work out, won't we?" He smiled the biggest smile I'd ever seen. "Got ya scared for a second, didn't I?"

"Uh," I mumbled. At least he was an easy-going guy. "So how does this wolf thing work?" When in doubt, change the subject.

"Well, for starters you'll have to keep your temper in check. You phase uncontrollably when you're really mad. If you phase when you're around another human, someone could get hurt."

"Let me guess," I said. "Easier said than done."

"Yep. You can get all the other stuff you need to know from the pack. Oh yeah, we can also mentally communicate when we're in wolf form. No big deal, right?"

I rubbed my head in confusion. I'd gathered as much during my first change, but it still sounded just as weird.

A beautiful voice sounded just outside my door.

"Dad, is he awake yet?" Skye wanted to see _me_! I bounded over to the door and was about to open it when Seth stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"How'd you get over here so fast?" I asked in amazement.

"Same as you. Werewolf speed." His tone was rough and there was a hard glint in his steel-gray eyes. "Put your shirt on."

Oh, right.

I ran over and grabbed a shirt from the dresser. I guess Grandfather had unpacked for me.

"She's just fifteen," Seth said warningly. "I don't have time to explain, but I will know _everything_ that ever goes on between you two."

This stopped me dead in my tracks. Stupid pack mind.

"You can trust me, Seth," I insisted.

"Dad! I can hear you guys talking." Skye yelled impatiently.

I looked towards the door and then back at Seth. He grinned and nodded. "Go on."

I ran to the door as fast as I possibly could, yanking it off its hinges. Yikes.

Skye jumped back, startled. I felt the blood rush to my face.

"I-I didn't mean to-," I stammered, still holding the dislocated door in one hand. She burst out laughing, her airy voice melting every bone in my body.

"You should see your face!" she said between giggles. "It's as red as a tomato!"

I leaned the door against the wall, racing for words. Seth was on the floor behind me, rolling with laughter. This was way out of my league.

Skye walked past, smiling at me and rolling her eyes. I cleared my throat and Seth jumped up.

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving," he said with a wink at Skye. It was her turn to blush.

After he'd gone, Skye glanced up at me shyly.

"Um, sorry about what happened when you last came over," I started. "I didn't mean to collapse like that, it's not something I normally do…"

"It's okay, Daniel. I know all about the pack," she interrupted. Her face was glowing in the early morning light. She stared into my eyes and made me feel as if my entire soul was laid out on my face. I could feel the electricity between us.

"Oh, okay. Your dad never said if you did…."

Skye walked over to the desk where all my drawings lay scattered. She picked up the one of the valley that I'd done two weeks earlier when she stopped by.

"These are all really good. I found your stuff on the seat while I was here and looked at them. I hope that's okay."

"Oh, yeah. You're welcome to anything."

"Good. I was afraid you wouldn't like me going through it. Are you going to give this one any color?" she asked.

"It's a charcoal sketch, so probably not. Unless you want me to, that is." The words were out of my mouth before I knew it. I sounded like some desperate fool.

"Hmm, Dad was right." Skye smiled and sat on my bed.

"About what?" I asked, curling my new huge figure up on the window seat.

"Did he explain what's going on between us, Daniel?"

"No," I said slowly. "I got some stuff from the pack when I phased, but just a couple impressions. The word imprint, mostly." I definitely knew something was different about the way I felt towards Skye.

"I never believed in love at first sight," she said. "But when I found out about werewolves and imprints, I had to. See, a werewolf imprints when he or she finds their soul mate. You already know what it feels like, so I don't have to describe it. My father told me what it's like. He's seen it from the others' points of view. Dad didn't imprint on my mother. Apparently our ancestors could live entire lifetimes without meeting their imprint. They took other wives."

I couldn't imagine myself with anyone other than Skye, but then again that was after I'd imprinted.

"I found out about Dad being a wolf when I was seven years old. My parents didn't know if I'd phase or not, and they wanted me to be ready if I did."

_That would've been nice,_ I thought.

"But since I'm Quileute," Skye continued. "there was also the chance that I'd be imprinted on." She smiled at me. "And now I have been."

"What?" I said, grinning back at her. "Who? I'll have to find this guy."

Skye laughed. "You, silly."

"I knew you'd imprinted the minute we looked at each other." She laughed again. Her laugh felt better than air after being underwater for too long. "You just kept staring at me without a word."

"Sorry." I gave her a sheepish grin.

"Don't be. I felt the same way," she replied.

"Well, except for the whole skin-feeling-like-it-was-catching-on-fire thing."

"Uh, yeah." She giggled.

I became serious again. "What did Seth say about imprinting?"

"He said for anyone who imprinted, it was complete adoration. You feel as if all the troubles in the world just fade away when you're together. You'd do anything for each other."

"Yeah, exactly," I breathed. The way Skye was looking at me right now put me in total awe. I didn't deserve this perfect creature.

"After you phased back, Jacob carried you in here. I stayed beside you every day for as long as I could. That peaceful feeling was with me, even when you were asleep. The first day, I was terrified to leave you. You might be gone the next day."

The look on her face hurt me so much. It felt like my heart was twisting up into knots. I walked over and took her slender hands in mine.

"Skye, I could never leave you. Not unless you want me to." I stared straight into her endless green eyes and tried to convey every feeling to her.

"I'll never want you to," she whispered.

A howl outside my window made us both jump.

"Dad!!" Skye shrieked with disbelief.

I just grinned at her.

"Stupid werewolf super hearing," she muttered darkly.

I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We know practically nothing about each other. We've pretty much just met, and I'm already promising to stay forever."

"Welcome to my world," Skye said, taking my hand.

**So, did you like it? Hate it? Leave a review if you want. They're very welcome as with any other story on here. I am _so_ sorry that I didn't update sooner. I'm lazy when it comes to actually getting the darn thing written out. Also, check out my website at .**


	4. First Danger

**A/N Hey people. I've changed my mind and decided to post a chapter. It's been so long since I've updated that I recommend you go back and re-read the other chapters. As an apology for my flip-flopping, I've decided to give y'all and extra long chapter! Longest one to date, in fact. Email me if you want, contact info on my profile. I have Twitter also!**

Over the next couple of days, I learned how to phase whenever I wanted, run patrols, and keep my temper in check.

My newfound speed, strength, and reflexes amazed me. I could see far better than I thought possible. I could hear a car coming up our incredibly long driveway from a mile away. Literally. I knew the identity of a person in a room simply from their scent.

Whenever I wasn't out in the forest learning the fundamentals of being a werewolf, I was with Skye. She was suddenly the most important thing in my life. The more time I spent with her, the more I loved her.

I walked in one day after running patrols and found Skye on the piano in her living room. She was playing a slow, haunting song that was one of my favorites.

I walked up silently behind her, hoping I wasn't a disturbance.

Her slender fingers danced over the keys, hitting each note with precision. The song ended slowly.

"I've always liked Beethoven." I laid my hand on her shoulder. She pressed her cheek against it.

"Your skin is always so warm," she remarked.

"If you're going to call me hot, then just say it," I said jokingly.

She giggled. "Very mature."

"Your skin feels so cold to me. I'm going to have to get used to humans being different from now on." I said.

"Well, at least you can go around without a shirt on, even in a snowstorm," Skye said, her face reddening. I couldn't figure out why she did.

"Why didn't you tell me you played piano?" I asked.

She shrugged. " I don't know. I never thought to mention it. I didn't even know you liked classical music."

"Well, I like some. It helps to listen to a song without words when you're writing a story. My dad plays it at home all the time."

Skye and I went over to the couch. She curled up into my side. Her sweet yet burning cinnamon scent filled my senses. It was my favorite smell in the world.

"What's your dad like?" she asked.

"He's an author. He writes mostly science fiction and fantasy stories. You might have heard of him. Ellis Stratton?"

"Oh yeah. He wrote a series that I liked a lot. He's your father?"

Grinning, I said, "Yep. So can you picture him in your head? A typical author guy, the nerdy type with glasses who sits around all day locked in his room, writing?"

Skye looked up at me and nodded.

"Well, guess what? He rides motorcycles. Both him and my mom."

"No way!" she exclaimed. "That is just awesome!"

I laughed. "You get used to it when you live with them. They're more like my best friends than my parents a lot of the time."

"What about your mom?"

"Oh, Mom is the most free-spirited person you'll ever meet. She can always make you laugh, or at least smile. She's always cooking something amazing in our kitchen. She's not like some typical mother. She listens to loud rock music whenever my dad lets her get away with it."

Skye laughed.

"She can also kick my butt in basketball. I never was good at sports to begin with, but somehow Mom always convinces me to play against her."

"Sounds like you have the coolest parents ever," she said.

I nodded, very pleased.

"But I can beat that," Skye said slyly. "I've got a boyfriend who is an amazing werewolf." I noticed a look in her eyes I'd never seen before as she leaned towards me. I realized with a certain gladness that her dad wasn't home.

I froze. My entire body stiffened as a blast of cold air blew in through the open window.

"Dan?" She waved a hand in front of my face. I didn't pay attention. My nostrils were burning with a sickly sweet stench. It was faint, but there. And getting stronger.

"Vampire," I managed to spit out.

My mind was spinning. I didn't know what to do. Should I contact the pack, fight it myself, or what? What was a bloodsucker doing this close to humans? Was it hunting? It wasn't one of the Cullens. I knew that much.

I took one look at Skye's frightened face and went into autopilot. My only job was to get her to safety.

I snatched her up in my arms and ran out the door as fast as I could.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Far away from the leech."

"It might be someone we know!"

"No, otherwise I'd recognize their scent."

I ran through the woods behind the Clearwaters' house a way and set Skye down.

"Stay here for a sec." I said, going behind a tree to phase. I put my shorts in a strap around my ankle.

Leah and Quil were running patrol.

_There's a vampire in the area. Do you recognize the scent?_

They didn't.

_Stay calm, Dan. Just get away from there and make sure it doesn't see you or Skye, _Quil said. _Just go to the mountains and wait. We'll take care of it. _

I came out from behind the tree and motioned with my head for Skye to climb up. I could run faster in my wolf form. I had to get her as far away as possible. I had to protect her.

Skye put her arms around my neck and wrapped her legs around my stomach as if she'd done this a thousand times.

I started off running slowly, but Skye whispered in my ear,

"You can go faster. I'll be able stay on."

Any fears I had about her falling off disappeared as I felt her body flex and adjust to any movement mine made. Riding seemed natural to her.

I kicked into high gear as I caught another whiff of the burning scent from the bloodsucker.

I watched Leah and Quil in my head. There was nothing better to do while running. Leah headed over to the Cullen house a let out a long howl. Jacob phased and immediately went into Alpha mode.

_I don't think we need Embry or Seth. We'll surround it and I'll go for the head._

The leech was leaving the Clearwaters' house. Its eyes were solid black. It was hunting.

With Leah on his right flank and Quil on his left, Jacob was feeling confident.

_This is nothing compared to when we had to fight the army of newborns,_ Leah said smugly. _It'll be over in no time._

When the vampire saw them, it hissed and moved to a defensive crouch. It was clearly a female. She had long red hair.

_Is it Victoria? I never can remember what each leech looks like,_ Leah asked.

_No,_ I pointed out. _It's not her. She's too short and her facial features are different._ I compared this leech to a memory from Quil's head. He had gotten a good look at her a long time ago when the pack was chasing her down the territory lines.

_Right,_ said Jacob. He growled at her and started forward.

Suddenly the female stood up straight in a more relaxed posture. This caught the others off guard. Leah got ticked off at the bloodsucker's bravado.

Then, two more vampires appeared behind Jacob, and one behind Leah. They looked completely identical to the first female. _Are they related?_ I wondered.

Leah lunged at the leech nearest her. She jumped right through it.

_It's a fake!_ I exclaimed.

In an instant a crowd of leech look-alikes surrounded them. The illusions started running circles around the wolves. Leah was shaking with anger and snapping her teeth at each one that got close.

_That's not gonna help,_ I remarked. Leah swore at me.

_Which one is the real one?_ Quil asked frantically. Apparently the bloodsucker wasn't thirsty enough to abandon strategy.

_Smell her out,_ I suggested.

Leah was too mad to pay attention to me, but Jake focused enough to try.

_It's not here!_ He realized. She was running through the woods. Leah took off without a moment's hesitation. She was mad and wanted to rip this parasite apart. Jake followed right after her, with Quil taking the rear.

They caught up to her quickly. Her strength must have been dwindling with her thirst.

Leah reached her first and started biting at the neck. The female's leg caught Leah under her torso and flung her off. Leah went flying.

Her claws dug into the soil as she landed. Jacob jumped at the leech and ripped its leg off. It let out an unearthly screech.

Quil got to its neck while it was distracted and finished it off. I didn't stay around to watch anymore. Skye and I reached a good place up high in the mountains and I let her off.

She didn't shiver after getting down. I found it odd that she wouldn't be freezing up here. After all, I was supposed to be the super-heated one.

Her face was tight with fear. It hurt me to see her so frightened. I wanted to tell her everything would be okay.

"Dan, what's going on?" she asked. She relaxed a bit and said, "Oh, if we stay up here alone for very long , my dad will murder you."

I made a coughing bark, which was supposed to be a laugh. I went back into the woods to phase and pulled on my shorts. I didn't need a t-shirt, even up here.

I wondered how much I should tell Skye about the fight. I didn't know how much detail Seth had exposed her to. I hoped she wouldn't ask.

I walked back over to her. She raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you get those shorts?"

Did she expect me to phase back without them?! I pointed to the strap around my ankle.

"I tied 'em to my leg."

"Oh."

"The leech isn't following us," I said, again debating how much to tell her.

"Did the others rip it apart?" she asked. I guess Seth _did_ clue her in to these things.

"Yeah, it was alone and very thirsty. No one knew it, so Jacob, Leah, and Quil took care of it."

"Good. Was it just a random vampire? Do they know why it was in this area?"

"I don't know. It's not like they talked to the leech."

"Don't be so rude about them!" Skye burst out suddenly. "Renesmee is practically my best friend, and I like the Cullens!"

"Hey, hey." I said in a soothing tone. "I just meant the bad ones, not our friends. I have nothing against vampires in general."

She looked down at the ground, blushing.

"Okay, sorry I yelled. I just have to put up with it around the pack a lot, and it gets to me sometimes."

"It's fine. Some of the wording leaks over from the guys. I didn't mean it. Much."

"We'd better get home then, before my dad feeds you to a mountain lion."

"Yeah, yeah."

"So why aren't you going to phase?" she asked when I didn't move. I wasn't going to miss an opportunity like this, pack mind or not.

I took a step towards her. "So we can be alone for a little while."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Later on, I took Skye back to the Cullen house to meet up with everyone. They were in the large, bright living room. Some were tensed, some relaxed.

Edward was pacing the floor anxiously, overreacting as usual. I couldn't quite talk, though. I'd gone a little overboard rushing off with Skye earlier.

Jasper was staring off into space and Alice was holding onto his hand. Carlisle and Esme were whispering to each other. I couldn't read their expressions. Emmett, Seth, Embry, and Chris (the most recent pack member before me) were cheering over some kind of lame wrestling match on the giant flat screen.

I didn't know why they were even watching it considering any vampire or werewolf fight was ten times better, at least.

Rosalie was standing off in a corner, her nose wrinkled up in disgust. According to the vampires, werewolves stunk. In my opinion, they were the ones who smelled weird. Leah was also off to the side, a bitter expression on her face. If they didn't hate each other so much, she and Blondie could be best friends.

I sat with my back against the chair that Bella was sitting in. She and I got along relatively well, even though we didn't have much in common. We had talked once or twice and she told me about her fascinating life. I thought about telling my dad some of it. It would make a great book. Maybe even a bestseller.

Skye went and sat down with Nessie and Claire, both long since used to danger. I heard Claire say something about a gift and the girls started giggling and talking animatedly.

I remembered that it was Jacob and Nessie's seventh wedding anniversary of all days. Even though she looked seventeen when she was seven years old, the Cullens restricted marriage until Nessie was technically sixteen. She was twenty-three now, and not looking any older. Luckily it wasn't a problem for Jake, since werewolves didn't age.

Quil and Claire were married shortly after them, but since Claire was human and now twenty-five, Quil would have to stop phasing soon. My mind flicked to the subject of Skye aging, but I quickly dismissed it as a topic to think about another time.

"Do you see anything, Alice?" Carlisle spoke up.

"Nothing at all. The pack is blocking my vision," said Alice in her light voice.

"Look," said Emmett. "It was probably some random nomad who heard about Nessie and Jake. She happened to be hungry and didn't get a chance to talk to us about hunting restrictions."

"Daniel and Seth were both in that house. There's no way one of us could miss the scent of a werewolf," Edward said, a look of frustration on his stone face.

"Her power was remarkable," said Carlisle. "It seemed to be similar to Zafrina's ability to project, just at a smaller scale."

"How can we be sure she wasn't with the Volturi?" said Edward. "She had a power the Aro would likely covet for his 'collection'."

"No, I think she was alone. Aro would never be so careless in sending an amateur. An agent of the Volturi would never get caught like that." said Carlisle.

"So what do we do?" asked Bella.

"The only solution, really, is to run more patrols and be on alert," said Seth.

"I think you need to inform Sam and his pack, Jacob," said Carlisle.

"We'll go tomorrow," Jacob answered.

"Well, on a different subject, would any of you like to stay for dinner?" asked Esme, always the hospitable one.

I heard at least three stomachs growl, one of them probably my own. For people who didn't eat food, vampires were amazing cooks.

"Sure," said Jacob.

"I'll help!" Claire replied, jumping up and going into the kitchen. Skye followed, which meant that both Quil and I were staying.

**Okay, that's all for now. I love reviews! In fact, one review from one person changed my mind about updating, so you never know what impact yours might have! **


	5. First Plans

Now we were going to meet Sam's pack. I was scared as hell. How were they going to react to some white kid joining a supposedly exclusive ancient and magical pack of protecting werewolves?

We were all in our wolf forms with Jacob at the front. We padded through the damp forest noiselessly and everyone was calm. Almost.

_ Geez kid. Don't have a heart attack, _said Seth. _They're not gonna lunge at you the minute we come around._

I got a mental image of a pouncing wolf with glistening, sharp fangs.

_ Kinda looks like Leah in the morning._

_ Shut it, baby brother unless you want to find your head shoved up your-_

_ Cut it out. They're close_, came Jacob cutting off Leah's R rated comments.

_ Prude,_ she snarled at me.

Suddenly Sam's pack came into view. Sam Uley was in front, a midnight colored wolf almost as large as Jacob. I didn't know the names of the others.

_Jared, Paul, Collin, and Brady are the elder wolves, because they transformed the earliest. Leon, Phillip, Gabe, Harris, Peter, Don and Anthony are the others in the pack._

Those names didn't sound remotely Native American to me.

_Idiot, _snorted Leah. _Our parents live in the twenty-first century, not a thousand years ago._

_ Technically, our ancestors only lived a couple hundr- _

_ Shut it, Seth. Don't you ever grow up? _

_ What fun is there in actually being nice to your sister?_

XXXXXXXX

Later after Jacob finished talking to Sam, the two packs went their separate ways. Collin and Brady phased back into their human forms and tagged along with us.

"So what's up with you?" asked Brady. "Why did you phase and not some kid from the rez?""Honestly, I have no idea. I guess there's Quileute blood in my line somewhere." I responded.

"I wonder why you imprinted that girl before you changed and not after. I know that's not the way it worked for Jared. Of course, the rest of the guys had never met their imprints before," said Collin.

"You're such a sap," said Brady, punching Collin in the head.

"Watch it you-" yelled Collin, tackling Brady to the ground. What started out as two guys wrestling, soon turned into a mass of snarling mass of fur and fangs. Brady managed to get away and race off through the forest, Collin hot on his tail.

It was insanity, but yet…..

"Hey, wait up!" I called, phasing as I went.

XXXXXXX

A couple days later…

I was done with my patrol duties early, so I decided to head over to Skye's house to kill some time.

"Skye! I'm off early today!" I called through the house. The empty house.

Damn, I thought looking at the clock. An entire hour before she was done with school. What the hell was I supposed to do until then?

I shook my head. The pack's foul language must've been rubbing off on me. I needed to watch that. But what to do for an hour?

The TV beckoned to me enticingly, yet I refused. Surely there was something better for an artist like me to do.

Maybe I could start that portrait of Skye I had been meaning to do, I thought. It could possibly be done before her birthday.

On that topic, I wondered when her birthday was. I'd never thought to ask. There was a calendar on the refrigerator in the kitchen. I started to flip through the pages, but went back to the first page.

No frickin' way. HER BIRTHDAY WAS IN A WEEK?!?!?

I hadn't even gotten her anything yet! We hadn't even talked about it!

I was having a major meltdown. What were you supposed to get for your soul mate? I had art on my side, but I would do stuff for her like that all year round. I needed something special.

I could take her somewhere, but that wouldn't work. Alice would be planning a party. I sat down on the couch, my mind working overtime, coming up with ideas and rejecting them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!" Seth yelled, sneaking up behind me.

"Bloody hell! What are you talking about?" I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Are you British now?" Seth teased. "Goin' to have tea and biscuits?" he said in a very whiny accent.

"Okay, shut up."

"I get that from my older sister, my pack mates, and now my daughter's boyfriend? Does everyone around here hate me?"

"Yeah. Hey, what's the plan for Skye's birthday?"

"Same as every year I suppose. She runs away so Alice can't throw her a party."

"Skye hates parties? I didn't know that…"

"Daniel, she is much smarter than you know. She purposely strays away from all mention of birthdays."

"Oh, wow."

" I suggest you tread carefully with her. She has a depth to her that she doesn't show. Skye may act like she's fifteen, but when she thinks no one is looking, she seems to be almost a hundred."

"Yes sir," I said, taking that all in. "And you didn't crack a single joke."

"My daughter is not a joking matter."

XXXXXXX

What was I doing here? What was I thinking?

I smashed my head against the steering wheel of the pickup. I was sitting here in the Cullens' driveway, debating about if I should actually go in. Frickin' insane.

A knock on my window startled me. It was her.

"Are you going to come in, or not? I've been waiting all day for you to get here!" said Alice, bouncing up and down cheerfully.

"What?" I said, my mouth slightly open.

She tapped her head in response. She'd seen me coming.

"Thought you couldn't see werewolves in your visions."

"Oh, I can't. All I saw was my future disappearing for a little while, so I assumed it was you coming to talk to me about Skye's birthday."

Evil _and_ smart to boot.

"Okay, yeah. I want to convince Skye to have a party this year. But Alice, I swear, if you go overboard on this I will _never_ forgive you. From the way I hear it, Skye would rather have bamboo splinters shoved into her fingernails."

She grinned impishly. "I'll bet she's nowhere near as stubborn as Bella was."

"Yeah, and no one is betting against you, Alice."

XXXXXXXXXX

Now all I had to worry about was convincing Skye to come to her own party.

"No."

"What?" I asked innocently, sitting next to Skye on the La Push cliff.

"You are about to ask me to come to my own birthday party. I am not stupid. The answer is no."

I was starting to see what Seth meant about a hundred years old. Skye and I had been spending a lot of time on one of the lower cliffs at First Beach. Whenever it was just me and her, she sometimes dropped the façade of a teenage girl and spoke like someone from a different time and place.

"How'd you know that?"

"I'm not sure. I just did. Perhaps I know you very well."

I scooted closer to her and put my arm around her. Again that cinnamon scent surrounded me. I ran my lips across the smooth skin of her neck.

"Please come, for me?"

I moved to her cheek, her forehead. She shivered.

"Daniel, seduction is _not_ going to make me come!"

I immediately ceased my efforts, unwilling to treat my imprint that way. I'd been inside the minds of my pack mates.

"Did you mind that much?"

She hesitated, looked at me with deep, knowing green eyes. And shook her head.

"Don't worry, I still won't do it again unless you want me to."

That made her grin. She leaned her head against my shoulder.

"So will you come?"

"Do I have to go shopping with Alice?"

"More than likely, but…"

I knew that I needed a good argument. Unfortunately, my mind was very preoccupied with the shape of the girl in my arms.

"If you go, I promise we can do something special afterwards, just you and me," I said.

She perked up, and then slumped down again. "Fine. You win."

"Woohoo!" I shouted into the wind, jumping up triumphantly.

I started dancing around the cliff base in a kind of victory dance. Skye stood up staring at me.

"You do not need to be so jubilant about it. You look like a fool."

"And you," I said, still dancing circles around her, "don't need to act like you have a stick up your- hey!"

She jumped up onto my back and held on tight, laughing so much that I joined in. I twirled us around, and my imprint and I danced around like insane people on a cliff watching the sun disappear beyond the horizon.


	6. Until the End of Eternity

"Alice!" I exclaimed when I discovered her perched on my bed. I almost jumped out of my skin.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said, a frown on her face. I didn't understand why she was looking at me like a disapproving mother.

"Um, I was about to get dressed for Skye's party," I said warily.

"I know. I found _these_ lying on your bed." She was holding a pair of jeans between her thumb and her forefinger, away from her body like they were contaminated. "Skye told me what your idea of dressing up is."

"What's wrong with jeans?" I said. "I'll be wearing a nice shirt."

She rolled her eyes. "I thought you, of all wolves, would have a little sense-"

She stopped mid-sentence and smiled one of the most frightening smiles I'd ever seen. She held up a hanger with a plastic clothes bag on it.

"Oh no," I said, backing away.

"Oh yes!" the devil pixie said, stalking towards me.

Several swear words later…

"Ow!" I exclaimed for the thousandth time as Alice pricked me again.

"Stop being such a puppy," she said, holding fifty of the little demons in her mouth.

She made me put on a button up shirt that was the same color as Skye's eyes. Also a pair of dress pants and the most expensive looking shoes I'd ever seen. I drew the line at a tie.

Alice had muttered something that sounded like "Just wait until your wedding".

She then proceeded to pin the shirt in because she forgot I was a bit smaller than Jacob and the others, and I was ready.

"Thanks, I guess," I called after her as she zoomed off in her yellow Porsche.

I drove up the Cullens' long driveway in my old white pickup. Collin and Brady were in the backseat complaining about the stench. I had forced them to come to the "bloodsuckers' lair" and now they were giving me hell about it. I told the both of them to shut it.

The outside of the vampires' house looked the same as always. No extravagant decorations or anything. So far so good.

We walked through the door and in an instant Alice was by my side, checking over my clothes.

"Good, you didn't get anything dirty," she said.

"I knew you'd bite my head off if I did," I replied. Alice just laughed her tinkling laugh.

"Since the weather is so nice tonight, we're having the party out in the back yard," she told us.

"Gee, Alice, I wonder how you knew the weather would be nice?" I joked. She tapped her head and zoomed off.

As Collin, Brady, and I stepped out into the Cullen's expansive yard, my mouth dropped open.

A large canopy tent had been erected and was lit by blue and green lanterns. Elegant streamers hung from the ceiling of the canopy and many other surfaces. Delicate flowers were arranged artfully. The color was in a theme of light green, sky blue, and white. Everyone was dressed formally as I was.

"Okay, everyone's here!" Nessie called out excitedly.

"Alice is bringing Skye down right now," Bella told her.

Fireflies lit the night around us and soft music came from the piano in the corner where Edward played.

Collin made a beeline for the buffet table to join Jake and Embry who were shoveling food into their faces.

Brady went over to a group of girls from Skye's school, probably to start flirting. I didn't know any of them since school let out before I arrived.

Quil was with Claire over by the door, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Claire was wearing a chocolate dress that was a little tight around her middle. I wondered why Alice let her get away with that.

Suddenly my attention was focused on the miracle that walked through the doorway.

Skye was absolutely radiant. Her face was glowing with a brilliant smile. She had on a sky blue knee-length dress that fit her perfectly.

She was wearing her dark hair in a braided knot on the top of her head. Silver jewelry seemed to make her shine ever brighter. Her dazzling dark green eyes searched all the guests until they locked on mine.

I walked up to Skye and Seth squeezed past me, grabbing his daughter in a tight bear hug. Smooth, Seth.

"Dad," she laughed. "You're going to mess up my dress."

"Oh yeah. Wouldn't want the evil little vampire to murder me."

Everyone started out towards the dance floor as a graceful song came on over the sound system.

"Would you honor me with the first dance?" I asked Skye as elegantly as I could. She nodded and put her hand on my arm.

We started swaying gently around the other couples. I kissed her on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful tonight."

She blushed.

After several dances with me and others, Skye came over to me at the snack table.

"Come on. I need to tell you something," she told me. I took her hand and we went out into the shadows of the forest.

It was a clear night and the stars shined clearly through the overhead branches.

"Will you phase, please?" Skye asked.

"How can you ride with a dress on?" I replied.

She rolled the blue material up to reveal jean shorts underneath. Clearly she'd planned this beforehand.

"Where are we going? This _is_ your party. We'll be missed." I told her.

"Alice knows about this," she said. "Can we go to the cliffs in La Push? I know it's kind of far."

I nodded, unable to resist my imprint anyway.

As I changed, Skye called, "I'll carry your clothes."

Good thing too, or else she would've been talking to a wolf all night.

She climbed up, wedged my clothes between her stomach and my back, and we were off. There was blessed silence in my head, since the rest of the pack was back at the party.

A jolt of adrenaline raced through me when I felt Skye whisper, "You looked really good in your new clothes." Her breath in my ear sent shivers down my spine.

Soon, we arrived at the cliffs. The full moon was a yellowish color and seemed huge tonight.

I let Skye off and went to phase. When I came back, my heart was beating a thousand miles a minute.

It was unusually still. Hardly any wind was coming off the ocean. Skye was sitting on the ground facing the moon.

I had thought she looked beautiful before, but in this light she was unlike anything in the universe. If there was a scene I'd ever want to paint, it was Skye's profile as she gazed upward. I'd never do it justice.

I sat down and gathered her in my arms. Her hair had come loose and was waving softly in the gentle breeze. I moved my fingers over her smooth cheek as I waited for her to speak.

"You know I love you, right?" I said quietly when she remained silent.

A tiny crystalline tear streaked down Skye's face and her lips trembled.

"I don't know if you will, after this," she whispered, in a tone that brought agony to my heart.

"If you've ever believed anything I have said, believe this," I told her with firm and gentle conviction. "I will love you even after the heavens have faded away. You are my whole existence, my entire reason for living. Neither the seen nor unseen could keep me away from you from you for long."

I felt Skye start shaking though no sobs came out.

"I can't live without you," she said. "I love you, Daniel."

It was the first time she'd ever said that to me. I was so filled with joy, knowing that this perfect angel was for me!

I kissed her, conveying all my feelings through that touch. Skye broke off.

"Dan, there's still something I need to tell you."

She put her trembling hand on my cheek. It was so cold.

"I'm a half vampire," Skye whispered.

My mind flew into overdrive. My first thought was one of disbelief. My second, "How could I have not seen it?"

Suddenly all the clues fit together.

Her skin was cold.

Her cinnamon scent only slightly burned my nose.

Her deep green eyes seemed endless compared to a human's.

She wasn't shivering when we were up on that mountaintop.

She was very adept at riding on me.

She'd never eaten in front of me.

I must have been frozen in shock. "Dan?" said Skye worriedly.

"How?" I asked, looking her right in the eye. How could she have kept this from me? Why would she _do_ that?

"First you have to answer my question," she whispered in an anguished tone. "Do you still love me?"

For a moment I'd been looking at a vampire. When she asked me that, I was once more gazing at the girl I loved more than life itself.

"Skye Clearwater, I will always."

She went limp in my arms, crying into my chest with tears of joy.

I pressed my lips against her hair and we stayed that way until she'd calmed down.

"Want to explain now, love?" I said, trying out a new term. It didn't sound as awkward as I thought it would.

She sighed. "It's complicated."

"I have all night."

"Well, do you know anything about Dad's past?"

"Um, no not really…"

"Okay, then I'll just start at the beginning."

"When Seth was nineteen years old, he met Mai. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She was a Japanese exchange student at the University of Alaska, where Seth was a sophomore and she was a freshman.

Seth was in love with Mai, but she didn't love him. He couldn't figure out why, and she refused to tell him.

"Finally, one day he decided to confront her. Seth followed her scent through the woods, puzzled as to why she was out there. He caught her hunting.

"She turned on him and attacked. Of course, he phased. It only lasted for a few minutes. She fought him and he tried not to hurt her.

"The fight ended when Seth bit Mai on the arm, and it actually bled. He was so shocked that he phased back into his human form. They both calmed down and everything was explained.

"Mai's mother had died giving birth to her, as in other cases with half-vampires. Her father was unknown. She lived with her mother's family in Japan, but could not stand to be around them. As soon as she graduated high school, she moved to America.

"Seth, in turn, told her all about the pack, the Cullens, everything. He again told her that he loved her, and this time she admitted to loving him in return. She confessed that she had stayed away from him to protect him from what she was.

"Eventually after college, they were engaged. Everything was going perfectly. Since Nessie and Jake's union had preceded theirs, the elders had no issues with it.

"Two weeks before the wedding, Jared's cousin came to town for a visit. Dana was pretty, but normal. Seth took one look at her, and imprinted. "

"What?" I yelped. "I thought he had imprinted on Mai!"

"So had everyone else, including Seth. He had been so in love with Mai and had showed all the symptoms of imprinting. At first, everyone thought something had gone wrong and he had imprinted twice. Turns out he had not.

"The engagement was broken and a new date was set for Dana and Seth to be married. Mai left town heartbroken. Seth felt enormous, unimaginable guilt for what he'd done.

"Mai reassured him that it was not his fault, and despite it all she still loved him. She never became bitter, as Leah had.

"Nine months later, Mai arrived on Seth's doorstep, carrying me in her arms. She handed me to Seth, said "I love you," and disappeared into the forest. She was never heard from again. I assume she's dead."

"So you're the daughter of a half-vampire?" I asked.

"Yes, but I have all the same traits as any other half-blood, except for one thing. Carlisle has puzzled over it for some time. I mature at a normal human rate. I look sixteen because I am sixteen. Yet Carlisle has reassured me that I carry the gene for immortality. I will stop aging at seventeen or eighteen."

"Yes!!" I jumped up, excitedly.

"Dan, have you been worrying about that?"

"No, darling. Not a _whole_ lot," I said, sitting back down and wrapping my arms around her.

Skye sighed contentedly.

"What happened to Dana?" I asked.

"Car accident," she said swiftly.

"Oh," I replied.

"Dan?"

"Yes, love?"

"Do you promise to stay with me forever?"

"Until the end of eternity."


	7. The First and Last Night

A silent figure watched the couple from the shadows. Its ice cold skin gleamed in the moonlight. He knew he could never take on a shapeshifter and a halfling together. He'd wait as long as it took.

The wind picked up and dark clouds covered the moon as a storm approached. He knew that with the rolling thunder came revenge and justice.

* * *

**Skye POV**

My Daniel. My beautiful, wonderful, perfect Daniel. Never before had I been this happy. My entire life has been filled with thoughts of grief, doubt, and regret. Now, as this creature who fully accepted me for who I am kissed me, I was whole. He loved me, even when I didn't love myself. Even now.

It was as if I was really seeing the two of us for the first time. I could see how I wasn't a hideous monster. I wasn't ugly, in fact quite the opposite. The way my skin glows in the sun was not like a killer, but more like an angel. Daniel was truly the gorgeous one. My body pressed against his. He was slender, muscular, and warm. My fingers tangled in his copper hair and his strong hands around my waist tightened. His lips traced electric patterns on mine. This night was so perfect.

**Daniel POV**

What was she thinking? Skye's raven hair flowed in the wind and her petite body pressed against me. This kiss was so much more than usual. Her arms wound around my neck and she was practically on my lap. Not that I minded.

My hands slid around her waist, feeling the curve of her. Didn't she realize how beautiful she was? I could feel it as she became more passionate. This was so right, and we were closer than ever. We were more one person than two. I only hoped she was as happy and content as I was.

We were so intent on each other, we didn't realize that dark clouds had covered the moon. We only stopped kissing each other when the first peal of thunder rumbled through the night sky.

"We'd better get back before they sends out a search party," I said, pulling Skye up after me.

She turned around while I undressed and phased. I barked to let her know I was done and gave her a wolfy grin. She just laughed. Damn, I loved the sound of her laugh.

She climbed on and we made it back to the Cullen house before the rain started. Alice would kill us if our clothes got ruined.

"Daniel, I don't want you to leave me."

Skye grabbed my hand as I stepped off her porch to leave. The look she gave me was tearful.

"As much as I want to spend the night, I just don't think your dad would go for it," I said, pulling her into my arms.

"He trusts us, I know he does," she whispered. It didn't take much to sway me.

Later, I was lounging on Skye's bedroom floor skimming through one of her books as she took a shower.

"I wonder if this is a good book," I muttered under my breath.

"What book?" Skye called from behind the bathroom door. I was going to have to get used to the fact that she had vampire senses.

Skye opened the door to see the book I was holding and my mind derailed. Steam billowed through the opening and she stepped out in only a white towel. Her black hair was dripping as she ran a comb through it. Water droplets slid down her russet skin tantalizingly. She was so, so tempting.

Skye caught the look on my face. I'm sure my jaw was hanging down.

"It's not _that_ bad."

"W-what?'

"That book. It's actually thrilling, as far as romances go."

I shook my head to clear it. She had no idea what was in my head.

"Um, Skye. Why don't you finish getting dressed. I'm sure your dad wouldn't be happy if he walked in right now."

She grinned at me and walked back into the bathroom.

After she changed into shorts and a tank top, I took off my shirt and we crawled into her bed. I didn't think Seth would approve, but it was her birthday. It wasn't going to become a regular thing, and we were just going to sleep. Nothing more.

I put my arm around Skye's shoulders and she lay against me.

"Daniel, I want you to know something."

"Anything, love," I replied.

"I've been almost alone my entire life. I love Dad, but between his work in Port Angeles and his duty to the pack, he's not around much. I was never very close to my people or the Cullens until recently.

"I spent most of my time either reading libraries of books to escape reality, or running through the forest for miles and miles. It felt like I could run away from the pain of loneliness, away from my broken family. I knew that heartbreak was the very essence of my existence, from the moment I was born.

"That damn Quileute magic was what took Dad away from my mother. It was responsible for all the bad things in my life. I hated it. Having your free will taken away by imprinting...hell, even transforming in the first place! It wasn't something that I would have wished upon anyone, especially myself.

"Before you, all I could see were the gray sheets of rain. Then, suddenly you were the sun that broke through the dark clouds. Even amongst all the rain, you helped me to see the rainbow's glittering color. You helped me to see how the glow of my skin was not monsterous, but rather beautiful in its own way."

"Skye," I said. "That was amazing. Better than anything a poet could write."

She blushed and said, "It's just what I think."

"Well, I can't say that I've had tragedy in my life like you did," I told her. "I've always lived in Iowa. It's a normal place. I went to school just like any other kid. I grew up, found things that interested me like art and writing. I was shy, so I didn't really have any friends. I didn't go anywhere besides a family vacation or two in the summer. I was very dull, normal, and bored with life.

"Then I was offered the chance to come visit my grandfather. I knew my parents had met here, but what I hadn't known was what a different world this place was. These woods are so surreal, like something out of a story. A realm where werewolves and vampire run through the forest and normal life was something unknown.

"I found you here. Someone I never thought about in my wildest dreams. I took one look at your face and fell in love with you. You are so beautiful and graceful. Even those words fail to describe how I see you. Imprinting may have been involuntary, but I wouldn't trade these feelings for the world.

"You make me want to be a better person. I want only the best for you, and I'll never hurt you. If you choose to ever leave me, I'll let you go. But I can swear to you that I'll follow you like a shadow to the ends of the earth in case you ever decide to want me back. You are my entire reason for exisisting. I know why I was put on this earth now."

Skye crawled onto me so she could reach up to kiss me. "I love you," she said simply, tears shining in her eyes.

"I love you," I said back.

She laid her head on my chest, and I was content to sit there listening to her breathe.

Skye laughed suddenly and said, "You know, I don't think any other couple would give each other speeches like we just did. We're not very realistic are we?"

I smiled. "Darling, what part of us _is_ realistic?"

If there was one thing I knew about Daniel, it was that we would be together forever.

**A/N Okay, I know I haven't left one of these in a while. Sorry, this is kind of a filler chapter. It gives a little insight into Skye's life and also Dan's so pay attention to those. I can PROMISE you that the very next chapter is going to be where the action totally speeds up. Well, starts really.**

**Oh, also this chapter is totally unedited, so if you find inconsistencies or errors don't hesitate to let me know! Follow me on Twitter at http://www (dot) twitter (dot) com/B3eth There you can bug me to write the next chapter and get a move on. Mkay? **

**Much love! --Beth**

**P.S. I wrote an extra chapter totally from Skye's POV. It takes place during the first chapter. So if you want it, shoot me a PM and I'll give it to you. It lets you get inside her head as she sees Daniel for the first time, and also gives you insight into what happens while Daniel is unconcious. Caution, unedited and may not fit perfectly with the beginning events.**


End file.
